Black and Tan (film) - The Harlem Renaissance and The Black and Tan Fantasy

The Harlem Renaissance and The Black and Tan Fantasy

The abolition of slavery and the consequences of World War 1 encouraged industrialization and ultimately attracted many African Americans to northern cities. There was a huge migration of emancipated African Americans that encouraged the idea of racial equality in America. The still racially conservative southern white Americans did not allow for African Americans to exercise their rights, and this also encouraged the move towards Northern cities. This gave rise to a new ambitious mass culture for African Americans. Originating from the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City, the Harlem Renaissance, also known as the "New Negro Movement", influenced not only local New Yorkers but reached to affected black artist in other parts of the world, such as those from African and Caribbean colonies living in Paris, France. This revolutionary artistic period existed from the 1920s and extended throughout the early to mid-1930s.

An eruption of African-American culture became apparent in Harlem. Many African-American plays and performances started to convey artistic complexity in human emotion and inspiration.

The first African-American newspaper was organized and established in 1917. Called The Voice, it was founded by Hubert Harrison and the Liberty League in which politics but mainly the arts was majorly emphasized, and he said that there is much art to be found even before this “renaissance”, and that this idea was an intervention by white people. Even if this were the case, The Harlem Renaissance was a huge foundation of the advancement of African Americans in America. A monumental result of the Harlem Renaissance was the Harlem Stride style of piano playing. The piano previously considered to be only for wealthy people, was now available for many of the African Americans. Among these early musicians, Duke Ellington was considered one of the most talented and competitive and laid a path for future jazz musicians. The Harlem Renaissance was the era in which the art of blacks became much more appealing and attractive to white people and white artists as well. During this era Whites acknowledged that Blacks were in fact tremendously talented artists and together merged to make musical compositions and film.

There was an emergence of racial pride for African Americans during the era. It was no single event that made this renaissance possible, but a general racial group struggle. The large collection of modernism, new forms of music, poetry, and cultural elements and style gave African Americans a solid foundation and source of pride. It wasn’t just the performers themselves that realized their extraordinary talents but the white people in all of America grew a profound respect that they never knew for this new idea of the African Americans.

This film can be seen as a prime example of the coalescence of White and Black artists to come together and make art. The white director Dudley Murphy used Duke Ellington as his star as he performed his Jazz musical masterpieces in the film and starred as the main character in love and struggle. This was all the process in the representation of the idea of a new black person. The Harlem Renaissance existed of black individuals that expressed their talents through art and proved that they were certainly not to be looked down upon but praised for their musical and artistic prowess ultimately uplifting the race to be seen as equal to white people.

Black and Tan focuses on these struggles and realities that African Americans were undergoing and overcoming. The artistic symbolism portrayed by Fredi Washington throughout the film should not be easily ignored. Even though she will suffer from an ultimate death if she continues to dance, the dancer does not care because of the love for her husband to survive and flourish in society and ultimately embrace the artistic talents that they all have. She represents the struggle of African Americans and the willingness to pursue further respect and acclaim as artistic individuals rather than an inferior black race. Through all the pain and struggle the main character in the film emerges victorious even though there is a death of the loved one, the one who sacrificed her life shows the importance of persisting and showing that they had talent and achieves an intangible but powerful idea and image of the African American.

The Harlem Renaissance relied on the support and patronage of white aristocrats to fuel the artistic movement. Artists were required to display their talents through the common perception and black exploitation of the era to gain support and enhance the economy of The Harlem Renaissance movement. A great example of this would be Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. This enabled African Americans to gain the support of many white individuals and drove their success through art in a good direction. The Harlem Renaissance had lasting effects in terms of being the foundation for the post-World War II era of the Civil Rights Movement. Most importantly, what emerged from the Harlem Renaissance was the mutual understanding between all Americans of a new intellectual, artistic, and more equal African American.